We're Friends
by CherriesAndWolves
Summary: When Sakura Kinomoto discovers her neighbour for the first time, sparks don't exactly fly in the right direction. More like she kicks him out of her apartment and chucks an instant-noodle pack at the wall in anger. A story about friendship, and love. And how one evolved into the other. S&S (Please review!)
1. Chapter 1

**Hello! I'm just experimenting here… But I hope you guys like it. I plan to update as soon as I can!**

* * *

Sakura sighed as she blinked open her eyes. The morning light blazed through her window and made her head hurt ever so slightly. Groaning, she turned over to get a good look at her alarm clock. It was still flashing 6:30 am, which was a whole thirty minutes before she usually woke up. Shrugging off her warm blanket, and shivering at the cold in her room, she slipped her feet into some bedroom slippers and shuffled into the bathroom. Cleaning up and wishing she could fall back asleep, she tied her long auburn hair back into a high ponytail. Feeling slightly better, she turned off her alarm that was due to ring in about twenty-five minutes; she threw on her favorite pair of jeans and a light green sweater.

Dumping some bread into the toaster and pulling out last night's pizza, she hummed to herself in contentment. Packing the two slices into her lunch box, she stuffed it into her schoolbag, along with two apples and a yogurt. As the toast popped out, she poured herself a glass of orange juice and sat by her favorite window, eating breakfast. It was odd to not rush in the mornings, and it was a strangely peaceful feeling. Putting the dishes in the sink, promising to wash them once she got back, Sakura picked up her bag and exited her apartment.

Taking the newspaper at her door and throwing it in before locking her house firmly, she rubbed her eyes.

"I need coffee…" she muttered to herself, as she heard the door across from her open. Sakura wasn't exactly friends with any of her neighbors, despite having lived in the same building for the past 2 years. All she knew was that the neighbor across from her had moved in about six months ago. She had never even seen him, just his boxes and other things, as the movers had been fairly loud. Turning around, she saw a boy about her age with tousled brown hair and equally brown eyes. He was wearing jeans, although his upper body was bare. Yawning widely, he grabbed his paper and realized he was being stared at.

Sakura knew it was rude to stare, so she nodded politely at him. Returning the nod, he stared at his paper. Sakura made her way to the stairs, wondering about the rest of her day as she heard a loud squeal from his apartment.

"SYAORAN! Give me a hug before you leave!" The boy, Syaoran sighed and slammed the door behind him. Giggling slightly, Sakura ran down three flights of stairs. She didn't know what the deal was between guys and overly clingy women. Then again, her neighbor wasn't exactly _unattractive_, so to speak. Checking her phone for the time, she realized she still had time to stop and get caffeine. Grinning widely to herself, unable to believe her luck, Sakura took a detour and waited in line in the usual café. Ten minutes later she emerged, a large cup of the best coffee clasped in her hand.

Walking slowly to college was one of the few things Sakura enjoyed. She loved the morning and how busy the city always seemed to be. That was part of the reason why she had picked an apartment so close to her school. Enjoying the crisp air, she made her way to class. She reached just in time.

"Sakura! Oy!" she heard someone call. Turning in the direction of the voice, she smiled as her best friend made her way towards her. Tomoyo Daidouji was a beautiful girl, with long dark hair and crystal clear eyes. Sakura had known her ever since fourth grade, and knew better than anyone that Tomoyo, despite her innocence and charm, could plot better than any FBI agent. Coming from an incredibly rich and upper class family, Tomoyo had a mother who could give her anything she wanted, and personal bodyguards who seemed to know everything about everyone. Despite all of this, Tomoyo was not spoiled, and Sakura respected her for that.

"It's hard to believe you're actually here before 8." She teased and Sakura smacked her playfully on the shoulder.

"I woke up early. It's a miracle, indeed." She joked.

"Undeniably. Someone up there must love you a lot."

"HEY!" Sakura yelled, starting to laugh. The two made their way into the building, catching up on each other's lives. However, when the clock struck 8, the two had to part ways as Tomoyo studied Multimedia and Sakura had Applied Mathematics. Luckily for her, the Sciences building was not too far from the Arts one. Waving slightly to her friend, Sakura made her way to the second floor, skipping some steps on the way. Entering her class and scoring a seat right by the window, Sakura put her bag under her desk and waited for her day to start.

"Can this day drag on any longer?" A girl with dark brown hair complained. Sakura sat down beside her, a tray of food in her hands. Her day old pizza lunch that she had packed had not been enough, and she had resorted to buying sandwiches from the cafeteria.

"Chiharu, you shouldn't complain." Another girl told her in a firm voice. Chiharu groaned, repeatedly slamming her head against the table. Sakura patted her on the arm, grinning.

"We all know you're dying to see Yamazaki, but try not to attract the attention of the other art majors alright?" Chiharu stuck her tongue out at Sakura and the other girls at the table started laughing.

"You'll understand my pain when you find a man like Takashi." She said, returning to hurting herself. Sakura sighed. Chiharu's boyfriend wasn't exactly _desirable_, but he was an incredibly nice guy and the two had been inseparable ever since middle school. From the corner of her eye, she saw Tomoyo approaching. Turning around to wave at her, Sakura noticed that her friend wasn't alone. Patting Chiharu again, Sakura whispered to her.

"Your man is here. Cheer up!" Chiharu immediately sat up, her mood changing completely. Getting up and throwing her arms around the boy, Sakura watched as Yamazaki smiled as though he was too used to this behavior. Noticing that Yamazaki was not Tomoyo's only companion, her eyes wandered to the other male standing awkwardly to one side. Her eyes widened slightly as she recognized that tousled brown hair.

"You!" she said, making everybody jump. The boy looked up at her, thoroughly bemused by the scene in front of him. His eyebrows disappeared into the hair that was falling over his forehead.

"You know Syaoran?" Yamazaki asked, Chiharu still in his arms. The boy, Syaoran shrugged while Sakura nodded. She pointed a well-manicured finger at him.

"We're neighbors!" she exclaimed. Tomoyo raised an eyebrow in his direction.

"Oh my!" Yamazaki was staring at Sakura.

"This is Syaoran Li? He's a friend of mine. We have a few classes together." Sakura nodded. She never saw much of Chiharu's boyfriend while in the university. He was always on the other end, doing a major in Business, while her friends were all art students. She, on the other hand, was a third year majoring in Neuroscience. However, the current situation meant that this Syaoran Li also studied some form of business here.

"Well, it's incredibly nice to meet you." Sakura chirped up, her usual friendly personality coming out. She held out a hand to shake, which the boy took slowly. His hands were big, and warm and comfortable. Chiharu laughed.

"That's Sakura for you! Always the eager beaver!" Sakura blushed and tore her hand out of Syaoran's. Ushering Yamazaki to join them for lunch, all of them sat back down at the large table. Syaoran sat down awkwardly between Chiharu and Sakura.

As Sakura devoured her sandwiches, she couldn't help but notice that Syaoran didn't eat. Swallowing the final piece of chicken, she looked up at him.

"Not hungry?" He shrugged, something he seemed used to doing.

"I forgot to pack a lunch this morning." He muttered. Sakura grinned.

"Too busy with your lady friend?" She asked slyly. Syaoran raised an eyebrow, his mouth pulling into a lazy grin.

"Is that jealousy I hear, coming out of my new neighbor?" He asked, his tone close to mocking. Sakura felt her ears turning red. She had known this man for around three minutes, and he was already _flirting_ with her. She stuck her tongue out at him and grabbed her last sandwich.

"I was going to offer you my tuna, but since you put it _that _way…" she huffed, taking a big bite out of her sandwich and glaring at him. He rolled his eyes and continued looking around the building.

* * *

"He is SO ANNOYING," Sakura screamed in anger. The day was finally over and she was back home. Slamming her bag onto the couch, she groaned in frustration. Tomoyo smiled her usual knowing smile, aware that Sakura didn't have many enemies. "This is ALL Yamazaki's fault. I was_ fine_ living here without having to know who lived on my floor. And he has to go and bring up his _friend_, who, by the way, is the most impolite, arrogant and indecorous man I've ever met." She breathed in deeply and sat down in her chair by the window.

"I wouldn't call him _indecorous_," Tomoyo said lightly. "Why, Rika and Naoko thought he was quite the charmer." Sakura rolled her eyes.

"Just because he calls your cooking "superb" or your artwork "simply magnificent" does not make a man charming! Not to mention, he already has a girlfriend!" Sakura yelled, waving her hands in the air. Something akin to disappointment flitted across Tomoyo's eyes.

"He does?" Sakura nodded vigorously. She explained about that morning, how she'd definitely heard a woman in the apartment across the hall. Tomoyo sighed, as there was a loud rap on the door. Sakura looked at her friend in surprise, and made her way slowly, opening the door just a bit to take a peek.

"Let me in!" Syaoran moaned from outside. Sakura glared at him.

"And why should I?"

"Because your extremely handsome neighbor has lost his key and he _really _needs to use the bathroom." Sakura giggled, opening the door, just wide enough for him to enter. Syaoran ran into her apartment and found the washroom without any trouble. Tomoyo was laughing. Even Sakura cracked an amused smile. After a few minutes, he walked out, seeming to realize that Sakura wasn't alone.

"Did you call the landlady?" Sakura asked. Syaoran sighed, running a hand through his hair, messing it up even more.

"Yep. She told me to suck it up until around 9 tonight. She's out with her family or whatever." Sakura giggled again.

"That's Natsuki-san for you. Always a peach." She said. Syaoran scowled.

"Yeah, all two-hundred pounds of her." He muttered angrily. Sakura giggled harder.

"You'll never get anywhere with that disrespectful attitude Li." Sakura managed to say. Syaoran huffed and sat down on the couch beside Sakura. The green-eyed girl rolled her eyes.

"Yes, Li, you can stay here until Natsuki-san gets you a new key," She said, in a bemused tone. "Thanks for asking." Syaoran looked at her and gave her a wide grin.

"Thanks Kinomoto!" Tomoyo started laughing, which caught Syaoran's attention. He looked at the longhaired girl past Sakura and raised his eyebrows.

"Daidouji…right?" He asked. When Tomoyo nodded, his face broke into a wolfish grin. "Pardon me for not noticing this during our previous encounter, but you are really beautiful."

Tomoyo let out a giggle that was most unlike her. Sakura pretended to gag on the couch. Syaoran looked at her, his eyebrows still raised.

"Jealous Kinomoto? Seriously though, jealousy at your level is not healthy," Although he sounded serious, his eyes were full of mirth. Sakura scowled, unable to believe the nerve of the guy. "You can't be possessive of someone you've just met you know?" he continued. "Not to mention, I have spoken only truth. Your friend really is hot—" Tomoyo giggled again. "You'd never find a man with that attitude."

Sakura growled, counting to ten in her head. Thinking up ways to brutally castrate the man sitting next to her made pain slightly easier.

"I don't want to 'find a man' who thinks with his penis and not his brain." Sakura muttered. Her comment did not diminish Syaoran's smirk.

"Guys like that don't go for girls like you." He told her lightly. Tomoyo coughed and the two looked around at her.

"I think this is where you let Li-san know that you have a boyfriend, yes?" She added, in the same quiet voice. Sakura smiled, a faint blush forming on her cheeks.

"Please, just call me Syaoran—Wait you have a boyfriend?" Sakura nodded quietly, getting up off the couch and reaching into the cabinets to pull out a pack of instant noodles. Syaoran was running a hand through his hair, evidently surprised. "Man, he must be some guy, for going for a girl that looks like she's twelve."

Syaoran didn't notice Sakura crush the instant noodle pack in half.

"Pedophilic tendencies, _I _think…"

"Get out."

Syaoran blanched.

"Eh?" Sakura whipped around, her eyes dark with anger. Tomoyo looked at her friend and then at the chestnut haired boy sprawled on the couch.

"Out. Now. Get the hell out of my house." Sakura continued, in the same quiet voice.

"What? What did I do? If this is about calling your boyfriend a pedo…" Tomoyo looked at Sakura again, this didn't look too good.

"I think you better leave." Tomoyo told Syaoran. He slowly got up off the couch and made his way to the door. Without saying a word, he left, shutting the door behind him. Tomoyo eyed Sakura, who had her back to her. She knew of her best friend's hotheaded temper. Sakura screamed loudly and threw the unopened noodle back against the wall. It rammed into her kitchen window, the plastic ripping and spilling the contents.

"I HATE HIM." She yelled to nobody in particular.

* * *

Three hours later, Sakura yawned on her couch. She had finished watching the latest recorded episodes of her favorite drama on TV and it was nearing her dinnertime. Her stomach growled in encouraging response to her thoughts. Sighing to herself, she realized there was nothing in the house to eat. She had destroyed her last noodle pack in a fit of anger.

Swallowing guiltily to herself, she pushed herself to stand up and look around her messy living room. She felt bad now, treating Syaoran the way she had. He was just an annoying moron. She didn't need to take everything he said so personally. Nodding to herself, and promising to apologize the next time she saw him, Sakura made her way into her bedroom. Taking off the cotton shorts she had been wearing, she pulled on her favorite sweats that had TOKYO U written in bright red on the side. Sliding on a cream sweater and rolling her hair up in a bun, she grabbed her purse and decided to go grab some takeout from across the street. Slamming her feet into her beat-up Nike sneakers, she whistled a random tune as she locked her front door.

Turning around, she was met with an unfamiliar sight. Syaoran was leaning against his door, fast asleep. It seemed the landlady wasn't back yet and he was still locked out. He looked oddly peaceful. Sakura stared openly. Now that the hideous smirk was wiped off his face, he was actually quite good-looking. He had long eyelashes that created shadows on his elegant cheekbones. Her artistic instinct kicked in, and she itched to grab her sketchbook and put his features onto paper. Clearing her throat, she walked over the sleeping boy and lightly tapped him on the shoulder.

He jerked awake at her first touch and looked around, until he was looking right at Sakura. Blinking slightly, it took him a while to assess the situation.

"What?" Sakura shrugged.

"Hungry? I'm getting Chinese. You wanna come with?" she asked jovially. He raised his eyebrows.

"My wallet's inside." He muttered. Sakura laughed slightly.

"My treat. Let's go," She nudged his shoulder with her knee and he got up slowly. "How _did _you get locked out in the first place?" Syaoran scowled.

"I came back from the university and put my bag inside. Then I was hungry, so I went to get some food from the store to make dinner. By the time I reached the grocery, I realized I didn't have my wallet or my keys on me," The tips of his ears turned red in humiliation. Sakura laughed again as they exited the building together. "Listen," he added. She looked at him. "I'm…sorry about before. I shouldn't have." She waved a hand in his direction.

"Don't worry. I tend to take things way too seriously. My brother says I have anger-management issues, and maybe I do. I went too far. Sorry. We're cool yeah?"

"Yeah." He murmured, looking away. The night had fallen and the street and it was lit up. The air was cooler now that it was dark. He was glad for his hoodie. He looked at the girl next to him through the corner of his eye. She was significantly shorter than him, but a bounce to her step left an impression on those that passed her.

"So Li," she said, making him look away at once. "Where are you from?" He was surprised. No one had really asked him.

"Karuizawa," he said, after a pause. She looked surprised. He had been expecting that. "I was born in Kyoto, but we moved to Nagano soon after, so I barely remember it." She nodded in understanding, not wanting to pry.

"I've lived in Mikurajima. My family lives there," she told him, even though he never asked.

"That's a big jump. Village to a major city?" he asked, despite himself. She nodded, a smile on her face.

"I always wanted to come to Tokyo, but my father doesn't like it here. My brother is somewhere in Kyoto now. He rarely visits, I see him once a year," she said. "It was a surprise I got into the University here. The schools back home didn't have very many kids." Syaoran wondered how small Mikurajima really was.

They had reached the place. Entering, Sakura ordered various foods while Syaoran stood back and watched. The people there seemed to know her well, greeting her with kindness. After ordering, Sakura dragged Syaoran to the waiting area and the two sat down, waiting for their order.

"I'm surprised you know of my hometown. Not many have even heard of it." He smirked slightly.

"My father drilled Japan's geography into my brain until I was seven." He said, chuckling. Sakura watched him. His face had turned bitter suddenly. She decided not to intrude.

"Why didn't you call Yamazaki for dinner?"

"Out with Mihara."

"Any other friends?"

"Not really," Sakura stared. He looked like he could make friends easily enough. He didn't really strike much as a loner to her. "I get along better with women." His answer was simple, honest.

"Ehh… so you're a ladies man?" Sakura had a big teasing grin on her face.

"You can say that."

Twenty minutes later, Sakura and Syaoran exited the restaurant and made their way back home. Sakura had a large paper bag in her hand. They hadn't talked much. Sakura realized Syaoran was a quiet guy.

'_Or he just doesn't find me attractive enough to hit on me.'_ She thought idly. Shaking her head slightly and running to catch up with the man walking ahead of her, she thought of her boyfriend, Ryu. '_I have to call him' _she thought. Walking up the stairs to her apartment (the elevator was down and was never going to be fixed… probably) She pulled out her keys and opened her door. Syaoran followed her in and sat down expectantly on her couch.

Pulling out a couple of plates and cups she handed one to him and dumped noodles and rice on his plate. Planting herself on the carpet she shoved a large wad of noodles into her mouth. Sakura noticed that he was eating with surprising manners. Sakura almost felt embarrassed, but he didn't seem to notice.

Syaoran watched as the girl next to him ate with an unanticipated speed. She had had three helpings when he had barely finished one. He wanted to laugh, but thought better of it. It was a lot warmer in here than outside in the hallway.

The phone started ringing. It was coming out of Sakura's purse. Jumping up and grabbing it, and pulling a blue cell phone out, she flipped it open and put it to her ear.

"Hello? Ryu? Yeah I was just about to call you. Me? I'm eating dinner right now. No, I got takeout from Chang's. Yeah. I know. Don't pester me," Slowly getting up and putting her dishes in the sink and washing her hands, Sakura began pacing up and down. "Now? It's late…maybe tomorrow morning before school? Yeah I have loads to tell you too! Mm-hmm, sure, will do! I'll meet you at the café tomorrow at 9 then? Get me the usual? Thanks, you're a doll. Love you too! Bye!" Flipping her phone back shut she looked at the chestnut haired boy sitting comfortably on the couch. He stared right back at her, and Sakura sighed. She knew he was trying to be polite, and not pull anything that might insult her. Although she approved of this improvement, it _did _feel a little eerie.

"Is Natsuki-san back?" she wondered out loud. Syaoran shrugged.

"She wasn't when I checked." He muttered. Sighing once again, Sakura trudged up to her refrigerator and opened it.

"You want some cake?" She asked, head still stuck in her fridge. Syaoran mumbled affirmative and she pulled out a plate with half a cake on it.

"Tomoyo helped me bake it yesterday," she told him. "It's chocolate, I hope you don't mind." Syaoran shook his head, conveniently avoiding telling her that he actually liked chocolate. His strict upbringing had allowed only a few indulgences, and he had permitted himself the pleasure of chocolate. He gratefully took the large slice Sakura passed him and took a bite. It was delicious.

"This is good." He told her appreciatively. She smiled up at him and took a bite herself. Her slice was relatively smaller than his. She watched him looked at her plate.

"I'm not much of a sweet-tooth. I like spicy things." She explained. He nodded, wondering how one could possibly dislike sweet food. The phone started ringing again, and it made Sakura leave her comfortable spot on the floor to reach for it. Flipping it open, she spoke through a mouthful of cake.

"You have issues Ryu! It's been _one _day. I had three midterms and a very important presentation, and ergo, did not have time to see you," swallowing the cake, she sighed. "Sorry, I'm just tired. I promise, I will see you tomorrow. Alright? Mm-Hmm. Bye." Shutting off her phone, she turned to him.

"Sorry that you get to hear me spaz so much." She told him sheepishly. He shrugged and got up to put his plate in the sink.

"Don't worry about it, its kind of great that you can yell at someone like that," when she looked confused, he hesitated to explain. "I was never allowed to raise my voice at people as a kid. No matter how much I wanted to just scream at those who were bothering me, I just couldn't. It led to a build-up of anger and frustration and I eventually cracked," She still looked confused and it made Syaoran smile. "Forget it, I was just thinking out loud." She blinked, and Syaoran noticed her bright green eyes. Frowning to himself he wondered how someone's eyes could be so green. It was highly unusual, considering they lived in Japan. Sakura didn't seem to notice that she was being stared at. Syaoran felt hot all of a sudden.

"I better go see if Natsuki is back," he muttered, breaking all eye contact. Sakura shrugged and got up and brushed cake crumbs off her pants. It wasn't really that late and she still had to study for yet more exams. Syaoran trudged to the door, and opened it. Nodding to Sakura he muttered a quick thank-you and exited the apartment.

Sakura looked around her room and sighed. Walking into her bedroom and turning on the table lamp on her table she got her bag and slammed it onto her already messy desk. Pulling out two large textbooks that contained very complicated equations and began to pour over it. Flipping through the pages and scowling to herself, she realized just how much she hated Math.

"This is what I get for choosing the hardest branch of Science…" she muttered to herself, pulling out her notes and reading them over. Hours passed by just like that, and before Sakura knew it, she was fast asleep at her desk, on top of her textbooks.

* * *

Sakura had in fact, been asleep for around 4 hours, but it seemed like only about 30 minutes when she was immediately woken up by a shrill ringing. Looking around groggily, she turned off her table lamp before the reality finally sunk it. The fire alarm was ringing, and not only in her house, but throughout the building. Getting up and knocking over her textbooks she rushed out of her apartment and ran down the stairs and out the main doors and into the cool street. Several people were already arriving, just like her. She looked around, Syaoran was nowhere in sight.

The fire-truck was arriving and men were descending in a rush. It was all a blur to Sakura, who was still half-asleep. She stood there, in her day-clothes (she hadn't even remembered to change!) rubbing her arms to keep herself warm. What happened? Where was the fire?

A light tap on the shoulder shook her out of her reverie. In fact, it terrified the living daylight out of her.

"ARRRHHHHHHHH!" She yelled, covering her ears and jumping on one foot.

"What the actual fuck." Came a familiar voice. She blinked and turned around, only to see Syaoran wearing a gray shirt and black basketball shorts. His hair was wet, as if he'd taken a shower and his feet were shoved into lime green flip-flops. She looked him up and down before lowering her hands.

"You scared me!"

"_You _scared _me!_ What are you, 12?" Sakura shivered as a breeze overtook them. Syaoran seemed fine, despite the wet hair and shorts.

"Sorry. Do you know what happened?" she asked, trying to stop her teeth from chattering. "And do you take showers in the middle of the night?" He grinned at her, flashing his even teeth.

"As far as I was told, Mrs. Chu on the first floor was cooking an early breakfast and it ended up in a disaster," He looked at her, and his grin widened. "Remind me to never eat at her house, He looked at the fire truck raising up their ladder to the first floor of the building. "And it's not 'middle of the night', it's 5 am." Sakura blinked.

"You wake up at _5 am_?" she asked, incredulous. He nodded slightly.

"And then I go for a walk." Sakura shook her head, muttering under her breath about crazy insomniacs. The cold was back. It chilled her to the bone and made fine goose bumps rise up on her skin. She suddenly felt an arm around her, the cold vanishing in an instant. Looking into Syaoran's dark brown eyes and feeling the warmth radiating off his skin, Sakura couldn't believe that this same man had bothered her not too long ago.

"Why are you being so nice?" she muttered.

"I'm always nice. Especially to anybody freezing his or her butt off."

"No you're not. You're a moron." Syaoran chuckled at her words and Sakura could feel his skin vibrate.

"Only to other morons." This earned him a smack on the shoulder, but he felt Sakura closing in on him and he held her tightly.

* * *

"I can't believe I woke up at 5 am today!" Sakura said. She was sitting in a café, across from her boyfriend, Ryu. A large cup of coffee twirled in her hand and she stared at her boyfriend of 6 months. Ryu was a law student, with a natural love for photography. He grinned easily at her, his shaggy dark hair making his dark eyes stand out even more.

"Well you're up early for once!" he said, only earning a smack from the girl sitting across from him, in retaliation. Laughing lightly at her, he took a quick look at his watch and got up.

"Do you need a ride to the university?" he asked, with a knowing smile on his face. Sakura smiled back and squeezed his hand.

"Please and thank you."

Sakura stepped out of Ryu's car after giving him a quick peck on the cheek. Swinging her bag over her shoulder, she waved at the car until it drove away. Turning around, she ran straight into a hard chest.

She muttered an '_owww_' at the same time when she heard a snide voice.

"You're so small, you're out of my line of sight" She looked up to see Syaoran standing over her. Scowling and pushing past him, she made her way towards the main doors. Syaoran did not take the hint and followed her inside. "So was that your boyfriend?" he asked, jogging to keep up with her quick pace. When she didn't reply, he grinned. "He's pretty cute. You should be proud." When she stopped abruptly, it was only Syaoran's martial arts training that made him not run into her.

"Do you have latent homosexual feelings toward my boyfriend Li?" she asked through gritted teeth. Syaoran kept his easy smile on his face.

"Why do you ask? You don't feel threatened do you?" When she continued walking, he continued to follow her.

"What do you want?" she hissed. He stopped, making her stop too.

"Natsuki gave me a spare key last night," he said, a little sheepishly. "She told me to keep it somewhere safe, so we don't repeat last night's…uh… incident," The corners of Sakura's mouth twitched. Syaoran dug his hand into the pockets of his faded jeans and pulled out a tiny key. "I want you to keep it."

Sakura blinked. That was unexpected.

"Why….?"

"Because you're the only person I know that lives remotely near me? You're my neighbor so it's highly convenient. And, I also want to give it to you… in thanks for last night." Smiling faintly and walking up to the tall boy, Sakura snatched the key from his hand and looked up at him. Syaoran did not fail to notice once again how green her eyes were.

"You're not half as bad as I thought you were Li." She said, maintaining eye contact. His smile faded and he ran a hand through his messy brown hair.

"Please, call me Syaoran." He muttered, looking at anywhere but her.

Sakura's smile only widened.

* * *

**Updated: Sunday, March 17, 2013 8:25 pm**

**CherriesAndWolves**

**I do not own CCS, and any characters affiliated with it.**

**Please Review! It helps me to write the next chapter!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

* * *

It happened when Sakura was in class. The announcement on the intercom rang clear and loud throughout the university. It called all the students in the Sciences building down to the seminar hall. Looking around, she saw that her classmates were as confused as she was. The professor said nothing, but only called cleanup on the lab they were currently working on.

Taking off her lab coat and goggles, Sakura shook her hair free from the tight elastic that had been holding it back. Cleaning up her station and washing off all instruments, she grabbed her phone and joined some of the girls she knew, to walk down to the seminar hall. Whispering to each other, wondering what it was all about, they entered the vast room to see other students already filing in. A professor that Sakura was not familiar with was standing on top of the podium.

As soon as all the students were in, he cleared his throat. His voice was raspy with emotion.

"Today, we have unfortunate news," he muttered, straightening his tie. Sakura was all the way in the back, and she could not even see all the way to the front. She contended herself with merely listening to the voice. "It is in my immense sorrow to tell you this. However, I feel that all of you have a right to know. Last night, 22 year old Akira Tomogaki was found to have killed herself."

There was a gasp, and some girls were leaving the hall, overcome by sobs. Clearly, people that knew this girl were already informed of the situation. Sakura furrowed her eyebrows. She had no idea who this girl was, having never even heard her name before. She tuned back, when she heard the professor's voice talking again.

"If you have any information, or questions, please feel free to come up and talk to us. You may now go back to your lectures."

As people started walking out, some talking in hushed voices, some being led out by others with wet eyes. Sakura turned around and walked out, the world around her quiet. She didn't hear the sound of running footsteps around her, or the people that brushed past her and muttered a quick apology. Akira Tomogaki must have been a pretty depressed person. Sakura wondered this, and then wondered what had gone through the girl's head before she had decided to do it.

Sakura was a cheerful girl, always striving to see the light in everything. It was hard to believe, for someone like Sakura, that there were people that had just given up hope, especially so early on in life. She struggled to try and see from Akira's perspective, to '_walk a mile in her shoes_' as her father would have said. But no matter how hard she thought, she couldn't see what reasons the girl could possibly have had.

Sakura then thought about Akira's family, and her friends. What would they be thinking right now? She hadn't even known the girl and this news was already impacting her. What did those that _did_ know her go through? Biting her lip, and looking out of the window in the hallway, Sakura couldn't help thinking that this Akira must have been a fairly selfish person, to cause such misery to those she left behind, in order to carry out something so utterly useless.

Shaking her head and feeling horrible for thinking like that, Sakura closed her eyes. The sun was shining through, and she could feel its warm rays hitting her cheeks. She prayed for Akira's family, her friends, her teachers, and all the boys that may have had an interest in her. Opening her eyes and blinking in the bright light, Sakura smiled faintly to herself. She hoped she would never be driven to the point where the only way out would be suicide. Her brother had constantly reminded her that she always had people that loved her to talk to.

"Maybe Akira just wasn't trusting those that loved her." She whispered to herself. That thought, in itself, was much more miserable than the fact that Akira Tomogaki would no longer smile at anyone anymore.

Hungrily stuffing her mouth with food, Sakura didn't even bother to look at Tomoyo when she joined her at the lunch table. Swallowing hurriedly and washing it down with Pepsi, Sakura grinned at her best friend. Tomoyo sighed.

"You eat so much but manage to stay to petite," Sakura smacked her lips and patted her stomach. "Did you hear about Tomogaki-san? She was in your department right?" Sakura's happy expression faded, replaced by one of wonder.

"Yeah. I heard," She said, wiping her mouth on a paper towel. "I never knew her. Heck, I hadn't even seen her before. Ever. But I feel like, maybe if I had known her, we could've talked." Tomoyo smiled, as this was the answer she expected out of Sakura Kinomoto.

"I'm sure if she wanted to talk, she had plenty people to go to. I heard she had quite the friend circle."

"Then why? Why, if she was so loved, did she do it?" Sakura crossed her arms and stared at Tomoyo.

"Sometimes, it's just easier to put up a happy face," Sakura shook her head. "Sakura, we cannot understand. There is no way we can, unless we go through it ourselves. It's difficult to try and be Akira, and see her side of the story. You are happy, I am happy. We are both content. She wasn't. You cannot simply expect to understand what she was feeling."

"I wish I could. Help her, I mean." Sakura muttered, looking away. Tomoyo took Sakura's hand and grinned at her.

"I know, that if she had had some 'Extreme-Sakura-Therapy', she would have thought twice about her decision."

Sakura only laughed.

"I need you to model for me today," Tomoyo began. Sakura drew her hands away from Tomoyo's and stared at her friend in dread. "Please? It's not even my own designs, we will be going to the mall."

Sakura thought that the mall improved the situation a little. Tomoyo's original designs were always a little sparkly, frilly, and revealed a little too much skin. Tomoyo's expression was so earnest, that Sakura couldn't say no, and she shrugged. Tomoyo whooped in joy. Sakura could only smile meekly in return.

After they were done their classes, Tomoyo shoved Sakura into her car. Grinning from ear to ear at her friend's enthusiasm, Sakura belted herself in, as Tomoyo started up the vehicle. It did not take them long to reach the mall where they sold the Daidouji line for fashion. Tomoyo's mother was very successful in what she did, and her daughter had inherited all of those talents. Jumping out of the car, Sakura fixed the straps on her backpack. Following Tomoyo into the store, Sakura felt the cool air wash over her as the air conditioning hit her square in the face.

Tomoyo made a beeline for her mother's store and Sakura had a tough time following Tomoyo's long stride. Once they were in, the workers recognized Tomoyo Daidouji at once. Greeting her with utmost respect, and smiling at Sakura as well, they led the two girls to the back of the store. Tomoyo pulled dresses off the rack at top speed and shoved them into Sakura's arms.

"My mother is working from a vintage angle," she told Sakura, who was too used to dresses being thrown at her. "She designed some dresses that go with Victorian England, mixed with a modern touch, and I offered my support. They are not exactly for sale, but with the annual dance coming up, _you_ need a dress." Sakura did not even bother arguing. Years of experience had taught her to not argue with Tomoyo when it came to clothes, multimedia and baking.

Pulling Sakura along, Tomoyo pushed her into the fitting rooms. Sighing to herself, Sakura stared at the six dresses with a glum look on her face, and began to try them on.

Meanwhile, Tomoyo searched the other sections and her eye caught a top that was perfect. Pulling it off the rack, she stared at it. It was white, and the sleeves were transparent, and laced with roses. A thin green vein ran through the lace and the material was chiffon. Grinning to herself, she looked up and saw a familiar face walking past the shop.

Sakura stared in the mirror. This was the fourth dress and it had taken her breath away the minute she had put it on. The pale pink color complimented her skin tone and it looked as if it was the only dress that was not remotely Victorian. The top was strapless and looked as if it was made out of flowers. It fit snugly on her chest and flowed freely waist down. Grinning to herself, she decided this was the one. Opening the door of the room to peek out, she could not see Tomoyo anywhere. However, she did see a white shirt sitting neatly on top of the pile of dresses she had already tried on. Grabbing it quickly, she pulled off the dress and pulled on her jeans. Squeezing into the shirt, she wanted to kill Tomoyo. The shirt was decisively too low cut and the lace was slightly itchy.

Walking out of the fitting room, she paused to see Tomoyo talking to someone. Making her way down to her friend, she realized a bit too late whom Tomoyo was talking to. She found herself looking into the brown eyes of Syaoran Li. His face pulled into a teasing grin, as he looked her up and down.

"Sakura! It looks beautiful! Let's get it!" Tomoyo said. Sakura was still staring at Syaoran who had a large cup of coke in his hand and was sipping on it, watching her. He was wearing khaki pants that ended above his ankles, lime green flip-flops and a 'TOKYO UNIVERSITY' shirt. Lime green sunglasses were tucked onto his shirt.

"Yeah," he added. "You should get it," he looked at Tomoyo and nodded to her. "I must get going. Yuuko must be done shopping by now, so I'm going to go meet up with her." The two girls nodded and he walked out of the shop and disappearing into the crowd.

"I wonder who Yuuko is." Tomoyo muttered.

Walking out of the shop, with a big shopping bag clasped in her hand, Sakura and Tomoyo shopped at a few more shops. They bought shoes for the dress and hair accessories for Sakura. Passing the ear-piercing studio, Sakura stopped in her tracks.

"I want a second piercing." Sakura said suddenly. Tomoyo stared at her. This was out of the blue.

"Now?"

"Not _now._ I've just been wondering about it for a while, and I've decided that I will ignore the pain that it will most likely bring me, and go forward with it!"

"Oh my! Well if you insist. I can accompany you, if you want." Sakura smiled and squeezed Tomoyo's hand.

"Thanks Tomoyo!" Tomoyo grinned back and returned the squeeze. "Where to next?" At that moment, Sakura's stomach gave a loud grumble. Tomoyo giggled.

"I'm guessing we are going to get some food."

Once they were in the food court, Sakura told Tomoyo the kind of sandwich she wanted from Subway. Tomoyo made her way through the large court and Sakura watched her make her way to the Subway. Sakura looked around for an empty seat and decided to pick a small table with two seats near the big palm tree. Putting down her shopping bags and stretching her legs as she sat down. She saw Tomoyo hurrying toward her with a huge tray in her hands. As she sat down across from Sakura, she handed Sakura a foot long sub stuffed with teriyaki chicken. Taking it, and grabbing one of the two drinks from the tray, Sakura unwrapped her food and took a large bite.

Eating from Subway was never something that Sakura completely mastered. As usual, the hot sauce dripped down from the other end, and she had too much lettuce in her mouth. Putting her sandwich down, Sakura leaned back in her chair to slowly chew the food that was stuffed inside her mouth. Looking around, Sakura could not believe her bad luck. Right in front of her was, once again, Syaoran Li. He was talking to a girl sitting across from him with a small smile on his face. He had a plate of onion rings in front of him and he was tossing one into his mouth every 30 seconds.

As though he had realized that he was being stared at, he looked up, past the girl's shoulder, and looked right at her. Sakura could see him choke slightly on his onion rings and scowled. Swallowing all of her food with a gasp and taking a big sip of her coke, she struck up a conversation with Tomoyo. She could still feel Syaoran looking at her. The girl he was with was dressed in denim short shorts and a black tank top and designer heels. She, on the other hand, was in capris and a full-sleeved T-Shirt. Trying hard to wipe the heat that was filling her face, she ate her sandwich at full speed, and waited for Tomoyo to be done.

Soon after, Tomoyo was done, and Sakura got up and tossed the tray out. Tomoyo stood up and picked up her bag and called to Sakura to follow her out. Catching up, Sakura did not bother to look back at her neighbor as the two girls walked out of the food court.

As they left the mall together, the sun was finally setting. They drove down to Tomoyo's house where they both had cake, while watching old videos that Tomoyo had filmed of Sakura. At around 9, Sakura got up to leave. Tomoyo decided to drive Sakura to the block on where she lived.

Tomoyo dropped Sakura off at her block, and Sakura said she could walk from there. Jumping out of Tomoyo's car, and waving goodbye to her and turning around and walking down to her home. As she climbed the stairs tiredly, the shopping bags weighing her down, she heard noises on her floor. She arrived just in time to see Syaoran with the girl from the mall, and they were clearly locked in a deep kiss, too busy to notice her. Rolling her eyes, she continued to climb up and up to her apartment. The girl patted Syaoran on the shoulder and climbed down the stairs.

"Going home so early?" Sakura grinned in Syaoran's direction. Syaoran returned it with a smirk of his own.

"She has to go see her mother tomorrow early morning," Sakura made and 'o' face and fumbled through her purse for her keys. "Listen, do you want to come in for tea?" Sakura turned around and stared.

"You're inviting me for _tea_?"

"Well I have coffee, if you prefer that." Sakura wanted to laugh. She nodded; she had nothing better to do anyway, and followed Syaoran into his apartment.

Sakura didn't know what it was she expected of Syaoran's apartment, but she was slightly surprised as soon as she walked in. It was the same layout as hers. Dirty dishes were lying in the sink, as if he'd just had dinner. His leather jacket was lying on the couch and his green flip-flops were sitting right by the door.

Not to mention, it was a lot cleaner than hers.

"Sit," Syaoran instructed as he walked over to the kitchen and turned the kettle on and joined Sakura on the couch. "Did you buy the shirt?" It took Sakura a while to realize what he was talking about.

"What? Oh yeah! I did," Sakura didn't know what else to say. Even Syaoran seemed to be at a loss of words. "S-So," Sakura stammered. "Your girlfriend, huh?" Syaoran grinned.

"Curious, aren't we? That's Yuuko. Her mother knows mine," The kettle started ringing and Syaoran got up to pour the water into mugs. "She's not really my girlfriend."

"Oh sure! So you just stick your tongue down random girls' throats."

"You seriously think I'm a slut, don't you?"

"You have never given me reason to prove otherwise."

"My mom thinks I've been single for too long, so she decided to hook me up with someone. Happy?"

"You weren't single that first time you saw me?"

"What? Oh that was only for that night," Sakura could not believe this guy. "Believe it or not, I've never been in a serious relationship."

"What surprises me is the fact that I _believe_ you." He handed Sakura a red mug with dark coffee in it.

"Is Black okay?" he asked. Sakura nodded. It was just the way she liked it. "My mother makes it her hobby to take up an active role in my life." Sakura laughed at that.

"You're lucky. My mother passed away when I was three," Syaoran didn't say anything, and Sakura didn't know why she had just blurted that out. "B-But, I don't really remember her. So how can you miss somebody you never knew? I mean, I have my dad, and Toya. I didn't miss anything. W-What?" Syaoran was staring at her over the rim of his mug.

"Nothing, nothing." Was all that he had said.

After that, they steered the conversation away from family, and talked more about school. Syaoran did not know who Akira was and his department had been called down, just like Sakura. Surprisingly, Syaoran did not have an ounce of sympathy for the girl.

"I think people that give up like that are not worth it. I've known people like Tomogaki who have fought through and pulled out of whatever it was that was bringing them down. And that is true strength." He said. Sakura only agreed partially.

"There is _always_ a way out," he said. "And more often than not, it does not involve suicide."

After about an hour of talking, Sakura got up to leave. Gathering all her shopping bags and pulling her keys out of her purse, she bid a goodnight to Syaoran and entered her own apartment. Dropping her bags on the couch Sakura headed to the bedroom and fell asleep on her bed, not even bothering to change her clothes. The day's events had had an effect on her, and not even the caffeine in black coffee was about to stop them from taking its toll.

* * *

The weeks flew by, and soon, the city of Tokyo had entered into winter. Although the temperatures never really dropped below zero, Sakura could still feel the cold air every morning hit her face. It had always been colder by a couple degrees where she had come from, but spending so much time in Tokyo had lowered her tolerance to cold. Christmas holidays were fast approaching, and Sakura and Tomoyo were making plans to return to their home village, Mikurajima.

Sakura and Syaoran had made a habit of hanging out together almost every day after school. Sometimes Syaoran would drive Sakura home, if their classes ended around the same time. Sakura discovered that Syaoran was actually from Hong Kong, China, and that he'd be returning there for the holidays. It turned out, that _he_ was the heir to the famous Li Corporations, and Sakura's jaw had dropped when Syaoran had confessed that his mother was indeed the infamous Yelan Li.

"You didn't guess by hearing my last name?" he had joked.

"Li's a common name!" Sakura had argued.

Syaoran was scheduled to go back to China on the first day of winter holidays, where he would temporarily take over the family company, and relieve his mother of the stress.

Syaoran on the other hand, found Sakura strange and extremely unpredictable. She acted like a 12-year-old boy on most days. She ate twice as much as him and had "five pounds of tummy fat", something she was completely and utterly proud of. It felt good to have another friend that wasn't Yamazaki Takashi, and a friend that didn't want to get in his pants all the time. Syaoran found himself cancelling plans with Yuuko every time Sakura called asking to see him.

And the weirdest thing was, he felt himself feeling increasingly frustrated when Sakura sometimes turned down his occasional offers for Tomoyo or her boyfriend. Friendships were foreign ground to Syaoran Li, who had been brought up under a strict mother and nobody to keep him company but five older sisters. Sakura, in particular, had a vast reaction to this.

"You have_ five_ sisters? No wonder you're good with women!" she had claimed, with a big grin on her face. Syaoran hadn't even bothered to argue. He had discovered that picking fights with Sakura Kinomoto led nowhere and usually ended with her throwing him out of his own apartment.

Soon the day came for Syaoran to leave for China. He stood outside his building with a small suitcase. The cab was already waiting to take him to the airport. Sakura and Tomoyo were standing with him to say goodbye. Sakura was wearing an oversized plaid shirt because she had packed the rest of her clothes, as she was going back home as well. Apparently the shirt had once belonged to her brother and she had accidentally packed it when she had moved to Tokyo.

"Well I'll see you when you get back yeah?" Sakura was saying. Syaoran nodded, and to his immense surprise Sakura pulled him into a huge hug. Syaoran, holding onto his luggage could barely hug her back. She smelled of peonies and sunshine and laundry. "Bye!" Syaoran got into the car and waved awkwardly. As the cab drove off, Tomoyo turned to Sakura.

"You two seem close," she said slyly.

"Well he seems lonely, and he is a moron most of the time, but one can get used to it." Tomoyo wanted to laugh, but she only allowed a small smile on her face.

"And only a month ago, I knew of a special girl that called Li Syaoran '_indecorous_'." Sakura poked Tomoyo.

"Shut up!"

* * *

_**How was that? I know things are moving a little fast for Syaoran and Sakura, I realize that. However, I believe Sakura's character to be easy going and one that makes friends with little to no difficulty. Syaoran, although being a player, is internally shy and believe me, he's VERY good at one-night stands ;) but he's not very good with bonding, and the entire experience is new for him. **_

_**I don't want this fic to be a particularly long one, so there will be a lot of time skips, as there are in this chapter.**_

_**I also wanted to address the suicide issue (I seriously hope some of you guys read this). A girl in my school killed herself a couple weeks ago. I did not know her, similar to how Sakura does not know Akira. I think I portrayed some of my feelings through Sakura here. Although I did not know her, she haunted my thoughts for quite some time. And I still wonder why she didn't talk. **_

_**Okay, on a happier note, this chapter was slightly filler-y, but it's still important. Because of (drum-roll): CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT. And believe me, you guys rather it happen now, than when we're into the thick of the climax. **_

_**Also, the mall scene is totally ripped off of real life event, so I own all rights to it.**_

_**OKAY I'M GOING TO SHUT UP AND GO TO BED NOW.**_

_**Update: March 27, 2013**_

**CherriesAndWolves**

**I do not own CCS**

**PLEASE REVIEW. IT HELPS KEEP ME GOING**


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